Celebration Church Update —

When church leaders established a Celebra-tion church, they established a halfway house tothe world. Erelong many in that house will indi-vidually go all the way out into the world,—or,as a group, they will leave and establish an in-dependent congregation. Here is the story.

THE SECOND FLIGHT FROM THE MILWAUKIECHURCH—The best way for a conference presidentto ruin a local congregation is to permit it to becomea Celebration church.

Back in the late 1980s, the Milwaukie New LifeSeventh-day Adventist Church (on the south sideof Portland, Oregon) was the leading Celebrationchurch in Adventism. Indeed, it was the trainingcenter for pastors in this pattern of sensationalworship.

The General Conference encouraged local con-ference presidents throughout North America tosend their most liberal pastors there, so they couldlearn how to conduct semi-Pentecostal meetings—in the hope of bringing more people with theirpurses into the denomination.

Even the Adventist Review published an articleon the church and David Snyder, its senior pastor. Alarge photograph of him was printed, along with mostflattering comments on his pioneer work in leadingthe church into a new, higher experience of publicworship.

When pastors arrived at Milwaukie, they wentthrough a reorientation program, conducted bySnyder. About eight to 12 pastors were in training atany one time. A friend of mind visited one day andlistened to that day’s training session.

A key reason why church leaders had so muchconfidence in Snyder’s Celebration church approachwas that, when he started the new worship style, hischurch greatly increased in membership. But the ac-tual reason for that was the fact that there were alarge number of liberals, in the greater Portland area,who had earlier drifted out of the church. Snyder nowoffered them a quasi-Adventism, heavily laced withworldliness, and they bought into it. Attendance roseto 1,200.

This attracted General Conference attention;for it was hungering, not for ways to maintain stan-dards and doctrines, but “church growth”—any-thing that would increase membership.

But one day, in anger, Snyder eventually spokeill-advisedly in the presence of local church leaders—and they were so shocked at what they heard thatthey notified the conference office that he had to go.

When Snyder quit, he immediately joined a Sun-day-keeping church and became associate pastor. TheNew Life Church was left in turmoil. Many memberschose to go out with him into Sunday-keeping, anumber quit all churches; and those who remainedhad so accustomed themselves to the theatrics anddisplay of semi-Pentecostalism, that they were inpoor spiritual condition. All they had left was theirfront-stage rock band and the singers.

To make matters worse, the conference presidenthad earlier arranged for a sizeable amount of moneyto be loaned to the New Life Church. They had beenrenting a large Sunday-keeping Celebration church,and wanted to build their own structure. But whenSnyder left, there were not enough members left—and they did not want to continue on with the projectnor repay the conference.

(It is of interest to note that Snyder had beenguided in much of his work by Dave Galloway, pastorof the Sunday-keeping church he was renting from.Snyder, like other successful Celebration church pas-tors, also attended Sunday churches to learn “new,improved” ways to attract worldlings to meetings.Galloway has since retired and is now on the facultyof an eastern Protestant seminary.)

In 1993, Mike Galeotti (a New York Adventistpastor), succeeded Snyder as senior minister ofthe Milwaukie New Life Church. By the time he ar-rived, the church membership was only 300, but heapplied enough Celebration excitement to bring it backup to between 450 and 500.

But Galeotti also started having arguments withlocal church leaders. The problems may have beenmutual; for the effect of righteousness is quietnessand peace, and Milwaukie worship services wereanything but that. Worldly living and noisy Sab-

to SeparationCelebration Leads

2 Waymarksbath displays generated strife and self-aggrandize-ment.

Upon his arrival, Galeotti fitted in well withsome of his members, for he wore a wedding ringand ordained women elders who wore earrings.

By early 1997, Don Livesay, Oregon Conferencepresident, was hearing reports about how far intoPentecostalism Galeotti had taken the New LifeChurch. He heard that people were experiencingholy laughter, being slain in the spirit, and speak-ing in tongues,—and that members were increas-ingly desirous of such manifestations.

The New Life Church was splitting over the mat-ter, and many were leaving. Eventually, weekly atten-dance had dropped to about 200-250.

Galeotti and his associate, Angelo Nannochio,openly admit that, at each service, their concernis for the “spirit” to lead them and the congrega-tion wherever it will.

Then one Sabbath Galeotti preached a sermon,in which he declared that “the teaching that the Sab-bath is the seal of God is a lie from which the churchmust repent.” He also declared that the Sunday-keep-ing churches are also “the remnant.”

The following Tuesday, Galeotti was called to theconference office for a meeting. This was followed bya meeting with the personnel committee on February11. Galeotti freely admitted his non-Adventist posi-tions, and he turned in a resignation the next day.

On Sabbath, February 14, the conference NewLife Celebration Church reorganized. At that meet-ing, it was discovered that only about 70 of theformer members still wanted to stay with the de-nomination! The rest had all flown the coup.

Elden Walter is the interim pastor. If he keeps thejazzy music and hand-waving going, the attendanceshould pick up again—until the next crisis and massdeparture. That is what the people have become ad-dicted to and what they now demand.

Galeotti and over 100 of his followers now meetevery week as an independent congregation.

Commenting on the experience, the OregonConference apparently had not yet learned its les-son,—for Livesay said, “We definitely support Cel-ebration worship services, but we are uncomfort-able with the style New Life has adopted.” Cele-brationism is an avenue to apostasy, but churchleaders have not discovered the fact! In Oregon,they still want to encourage it.

THE DEPARTURE OF THE DAMASCUS ROADCHURCH—When the present writer was in attendanceat the SDA Seminary in Washington, D.C. in the late1950s, the Damascus, Maryland, Seventh-dayAdventist Church was one of the more significant con-gregations in the area.

Several months ago, we prepared a study on theexodus of that church. Since it is part of the story of

how Celebration churches bolt from the denomina-tion, we will briefly mention it again.

In 1992, Richard Fredericks left his position asassociate professor of religion at Columbia UnionCollege, in order to become senior pastor of the Dam-ascus Church. At the time, only about 100 were at-tending. Fredericks turned it into a Celebrationchurch.

This was done with the full approval of churchleaders who were anxious to see if the semi-Pente-costal methods, used by a number of Protestantmegachurches in America, could be used byAdventists to bring in more non-Adventist mem-bers. This was an unwise decision; for our leaderswere willing to afford additions in membership ahigher priority than maintaining historic standardsof beliefs and practices. Quasi-Pentecostalism isnot the way to get people to heaven. It is unfortu-nate when denominations forget the reason fortheir existence. The Adventist Church was formedto give the final message of obedience to God’slaw, by faith in Christ’s enabling grace. How far wehave fallen in these last days!

“The gospel, not our law-keeping, defines all whoconstitute God’s ‘remnant’ people,” Fredericks saidin one of his sermons.

In five years, Fredericks’ church had grown to600! Leaders were convinced that the Celebrationapproach was a good one. As with others elsewhere,Fredericks’ church had dramatic skits, drums, anda small band up front playing “contemporary” mu-sic, hand waving, and various other demonstra-tions.

Yet, in reality, all that had really happened wasthat liberal Adventists from all over greater Wash-ington, D.C. started going to Fredericks’ church.As with other Celebration churches elsewhere,hardly any non-Adventists had united with thechurch; instead, church members had shuffledback and forth between local Adventist congrega-tions. Siphoning members from nearby Adventistchurches is not genuine “church growth.”

Yet something more subversive was also takingplace. Collecting the liberals into one church and pro-viding them with a measure of the “liberty” from stan-dards that Aaron offered in his church services in theSinai desert,—the liberals soon hankered for still morefreedom.

And, as in a growing number of Celebrationchurches, Fredericks was the kind of pastor to leadthem into it. You see, in the process of leading hiscongregation into semi-Pentecostal demonstra-tions, Fredericks had hardened his own heart andtheir hearts against obvious Bible-Spirit of Proph-ecy counsel. Both were now prepared to distancethemselves even more fully from Adventist stan-dards and beliefs.

In 1995, with conference approval, the Damascus

3Celebration Leads to SeparationChurch was renamed the Damascus Road Church.Shortly after that, they started their own, separatecorporation and laid plans to build a new church—tobe owned by their corporation.

The Potomac Conference set October 27, 1997,as the deadline for that congregation to dissolve theircorporation (Damascus Road Community Church,Inc.). When this was not done, Fredericks was firedon October 27, and most of his members followedhim.

On November 5, 1997, a contract was signed topurchase a 225-acre property for $620,000. SinceSabbath offerings averaged $65,000, Fredericks andthe board felt they could safely go through with thedeal.

This new, non-denominational church, locatedabout 30 miles north of Washington, D.C., now hasabout 400 in weekly attendance.

Celebrationism cost the Potomac Conferencedearly,—but no one at the conference office seemedto learn the lesson! Herbert H. Broeckel, confer-ence president, declared that Fredericks’ “innova-tive style” of worship services would continue!

As if to signal the fact that what was left of theDamascus Church, after most of the members leftwith Fredericks, would continue to be liberal inworship and theology,—David Newman, former edi-tor of Ministry magazine and the new pastor ofthe conference church at Damascus, renamed itthe Damascus Grace Fellowship Church! Althougha conference church, it is not called “Seventh-dayAdventist,” but “Grace Fellowship”!

EXIT OF THE GRACE PLACE CHURCH—We ear-lier mentioned the loss of a Colorado church, andwill briefly note it again in this larger report.

As a young pastor, Clay Peck had trained underRichard and fully imbibed his liberal positions. Atthe urging of the Rocky Mountain Conference, on Sep-tember 14, 1996, he and the liberals in northern Colo-rado formed a Celebration church in Berthoud, Colo-rado, about 40 miles north of Denver. It met in thelocal high school auditorium.

They called their church Grace Place, andstarted rousing Celebration services which theycalled a “contemporary worship style.”

Peck had maintained weekly phone contact withRichard, and carefully followed his pattern of form-ing an independent corporation which would own fu-ture church assets.

Upset at this development, the conference senthim to Andrews in the spring of 1997, so the theo-logians there could examine his views. But, withthe comment that they and many church leadersand workers believe as he does, they sent him backto Colorado.

On October 30, 1997, the Review ran a verycomplimentary article on his wonderful Celebra-

tion church. Three days later, on November 2, theRocky Mountain Conference Executive Committeevoted to suspend Grace Place and release Peck fromemployment. The crisis came, not over theology orthe modernistic church services, but the fact thatPeck’s church was not sending all its tithe to the con-ference; and they refused to relinquish their separatecorporation.

Rocky Mountain Conference leadership remainsin the dark as to the root cause of the problem. Itspresident recently said that Adventism “must havenew, creative worshiping congregations,” and heintends to help get several more Celebrationchurches started in the conference!

THE BRIDGE CITY CHURCH FORSAKES THEDENOMINATION—Bob Bretsch, the very successfulsenior pastor of the Union College Church, becamepastor of the 1,450-member Sunnyside Church inPortland, Oregon. From 1992 to 1997, he held thatposition. Sunnyside was the largest church in the larg-est conference of the North Pacific Union.

When Bretsch arrived at Sunnyside in 1992,he found a well-educated, but traditional Adventistcongregation. Within a few years, he dramaticallychanged it, as he introduced a “contemporary wor-ship service” (i.e., Celebration), a downstairs foodbar, and Messianic Jewish dancing. That style ofdancing, done at the annual Protestant Feast ofTabernacles Festival each fall in Jerusalem, is simi-lar to square dancing, but is much more lively. Withall the twirling, dancing bodies, it gives a sensualappearance which is pleasing to the a worldly on-looker.

While church leadership sat back and did noth-ing, Bretsch won a sizeable number of the membersover to the wilder worship. Keep in mind that most ofthose leaders had been the ones who so strongly en-couraged what went on at the Milwaukie Churchwhich, partway through Bretsch’s pastorate atSunnyside, had already collapsed.

A number of members, whom Bretsch called “thegroup of sixty,” complained to the conference office,revealing that Bretsch was irregular in tithe payingand was paying the equivalent of four associate pas-tors directly from local church funds (which denomi-national policies forbade).

Once again, as far as the conference was con-cerned, the problem was denominational control,—not such matters as theology, dancing, or theatri-cal worship services.

On May 29, 1997, Bretsch was fired by the con-ference. A few weeks later, on July 1, he was asked topastor the newly formed Bridge City CommunityChurch. Duff Gorle and Marc Schelske, associatepastors at Sunnyside with Bretsch, also joined thestaff. About 600 are attending.

Unlike most of the other shattered churches in

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this report, the group which remained at Sunnysidedecided to drop the Celebrationism and return thechurch to a traditional form of worship.

FLIGHT OF THE NEW LIFE CHURCH IN WASH-INGTON—Eric Bahme was senior pastor of the Wood-inville, Washington, Seventh-day Adventist Church,not far from Seattle. As with most of the other sepa-rated churches in this report, doctrinal positionswere not a problem. Local churches can believemost anything they want and vary in their worshipstyles, as long as they acknowledge the authorityof the conference. But a non-Adventist singer ledthe worship services and not all tithe dollars weresent to the conference; this irritated leadership.

Because of various problems, he was terminatedby the Washington Conference in May 1996. But, bythat time, it was already too late. He had totallysaturated the minds of his congregation with mod-ernist worship and liberal theology.

Taking with him 98 percent of his members,Bahme started the New Life Christian Fellowshipof Congregational Seventh-day Adventists,—theonly one of the five churches in this report to re-tain the name “Seventh-day Adventist.”

With 60 members and a total of 180 who attendat various times, the new body has an average atten-dance of 140. The new church has a book center andsponsors concerts.

PART OF THE MEDFORD CHURCH DROPSOUT—From 1990 to 1996, Chad McComas servedas senior pastor of the 600-member Medford, Oregon,Seventh-day Adventist Church. He had been a pas-tor in that conference since 1976.

When he ran into trouble with the conference overnon-doctrinal matters, he was replaced as senior pas-tor in December 1996, but did not submit an officialresignation until May 30, 1997.

After resigning, he remained in Medford andstarted a center to help people with addictions. July5, 1997, was the first Sabbath of the newly formedSet Free Christian Fellowship. More than 60 peopleattended the first service. This church focuses onhelping people recover from a variety of addictions,and has opened an in-house treatment center.

THE EVANGELICAL SABBATH ASSOCIATION—A significant part of this report is the fact that allfive of these separated congregations are membersof a newly formed organization, the EvangelicalSabbath Association (ESA). Don Ashlock, a Port-land, Oregon, businessman led out in founding thisorganization, which seeks the membership of ev-ery liberal, independent Adventist group in the

United States. ESA says it is “dedicated to equip,serve, and empower grace-based Sabbath Celebrat-ing ministries.”

ESA is similar to the Willow Creek Association(WCA) of independent Protestant Celebrationistchurches, because it is based on it. In fact, ESA wasfounded during the 1997 Willow Creek LeadershipConference. (WCA has more than 2,200 memberchurches, from 70 denominations and 15 countries,and holds various workshops and conferences.)

CONCLUSION—Once the cancer is permittedto take hold, it can spread. In the late 1970s, weextensively reported on the Celebration churcheswhich were started under the strong urging of the Gen-eral Conference (see our Celebration Tractbook). Asa result, Celebrationism—which is thinly disguisedpre-Pentecostalism—is now in vogue in many of ourlocal churches. But, once given non-Adventist wor-ship patterns, the jaded members find themselvestempted to throw off denominational control.

Richard Fredericks, the rebel Damascus, Mary-land pastor, says he has been inundated with in-quiries from pastors and congregations interestedin following similar courses of action.

Eric Bahme, the independent Woodinville, Wash-ington pastor, says he receives E-mail everyday fromall over North America and elsewhere in the worldfield—from people wanting to make a similar tran-sition to independent congregations.

Bahme says he personally knows of 15 to 18senior pastors (not including those in this report)“who will most likely be terminated or quit to startnew churches.”

In promoting such a flagrant violation of our stan-dards as celebration-style church services, denomi-national leaders sowed rebellion against Bible-Spiritof Prophecy standards, and they are now reaping abitter harvest—rebellion against church control.

Last week, not far from here, an interconferenceseminar was held by the denomination, on how toreach “Generation Xers.” Adventist church leaders dis-cussed the need to find innovative, new ways to reachthe children of the baby boomers—different looks,different meetings, different magazines, differentBibles, different sermons, different appeals, differentschool curriculum, and extra-curricular activities. —Anything to increase liberal membership in thechurch.

So we look ahead to yet more liberal approachesbeing applied in the future. Church leaders are fan-ning the flame that will ultimately take out manyof their local churches.

—Vance Ferrell